Stampin' Up's Many Merry Stars for your stars!

Things are really hotting up on the run up to Christmas now and here's another impressive bit of gift wrapping, courtesy of Stampin' Up of course!

Now, who wouldn't want to open a pile of stars on Christmas day?! I used the Many Merry Stars kit to make these - and this kit actually contains all the ingredients to make and embellish 26 of these beautiful star boxes in assorted sizes!

I used some to package up some chocolates for my lovely Stampers 6 club ladies last month and the rest will be used as Christmas decorations - I think they're beautiful!

• If you have a long wish list, you might want to join my Stampers 6 club - I'm currently taking names for a January start. You'll be able to spread your purchases over six months and there are lots of other benefits including at least £25 worth of free goodies, handmade gifts and cards from me, free catalogues, reduced postage. I very much appreciate my club ladies and each parcel is put together with great care.
Find out more about my Stampers 6 club by clicking here.

BUY THE SUPPLIES TO MAKE THIS PROJECT NOW!
(Click on the photo to be transported to my online shop!) 

Many Merry Stars Simply Created Kit £23.95

My shop is open 24/7 so you can buy Stampin' Up products from me any time, day or night.

If you have any queries, or prefer to speak to me, I'm happy to help.

You can contact me by email or phone on 01280 820593.

Never mind the stars, did anyone see the moon last night? I was driving my son to a Christmas party and we just couldn't take our eyes off it - it seemed huge and yellow and we thought it looked magical. I had to look it up when we got home. Apparently (stay with me here!) the moon seems larger when it's nearer the horizon but it's just an optical illusion; the reason it was yellow is because it was shining through Earth's polluted atmosphere. Honestly, science - am I right?

See you tomorrow when I'll be going Christmas crackers! (That is if I'm not too Christmas crackered!)

Hello Love and Crushed Curry from Stampin' Up!

When it's a gloomy old day you need a colour like Stampin' Up's Crushed Curry to give you a lift! That was the idea behind today's card, made to cheer up a friend.

Add to that lovely bright colour a bird singing his heart out, sunshine, sequins and a directional arrow saying go, go GO! and surely this card couldn't fail to put a bit of pep in anyone's step!

I used a couple of strips of the Color Me Autumn washi tape and my favourite of this year's Stampin' Up hostess sets, Hello Love.

So how do you get your hands on the exclusive Stampin' Up hostess sets?  They're available free as part of your Stampin' Up rewards when you place an order of £150 or more but, if you prefer to spread the cost of your craft supplies, members of my Stampers 6 club can also get them for free in their hostess month!

• Click here to browse my shop and place an order
• Click here for more information about joining my Stampers 6 club.

I'll be linking today's card up with the ladies at CAS Colours and Sketches where this is the sketch to follow:

BUY THE SUPPLIES TO MAKE TODAY'S CARD NOW!
(Click on each item to find it quickly in my online shop) 

Hello Love Wood Stamp Set £16.00	Color Me Autumn Designer Washi Tape £4.50	Card Stock A4 Crushed Curry £6.25
Cajun Craze A4 Card Stock £6.25	Stampin' Blendabilities™ Markers Daffodil Delight Assortment £10.95	Gold Sequin Trim £4.50

My shop is open 24/7 so you can buy Stampin' Up products from me any time, day or night.

If you have any queries, or prefer to speak to me, I'm happy to help.

You can contact me by email or phone on 01280 820593.

I hope my card cheered my friend up but I should have lent her my youngest son!

I bought some pears from the market the other day, gorgeously ripe and bursting with juice. My boys had one after dinner yesterday and the youngest immediately wanted another. "Could you get one for me?" I asked as he hovered over the fruit bowl, looking for the best ones. He began to sing in the tune of the Adele song 'someone like you'. "I want nothing but the best pear for you-hooo!" he wailed. He carried on in this vein until the end when he gazed soulfully at me and sang: "Sometimes the pears are ripe and sometimes..." he paused and said abruptly: "Sometimes they aren't!"

See you tomorrow,

A Geometrical hello!

What a fantastic weekend of sunshine it's been! Doesn't it make the chores easier when your shoulders are down and you're not wearing as many clothes?! Crafting has had to take a back seat for me this weekend but I do have a card to show you that I made a while ago for my lovely Stampers 6 club ladies. Come and see:

I love all the different triangle patterns in Stampin' Up's Geometrical stamp set (and it also comes with other shapes as well as some on-trend arrows and some really great sentiments!) This border was a lot of fun to make using a fun colour palette and a stamp-a-majig but if you're looking for a quicker version, you could just use the Triangle punch that coordinates with the stamp set. You even get 15% off if you buy the stamp set and punch together!

The triangles and the colours were quite bold so I needed a sentiment that could hold its own. The 'hello' from Simply Celebrate was perfect for the job, especially teamed with one of the extra large rhinestones. I think there's a bit of an 80s vibe to this card!

Here are the cards, all ready to be packed carefully in my Stampers 6 club members' parcels along with a little handmade gift!

• My Stampers 6 club is full up at the moment but I'll be starting a new group in May. Places will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis, so do let me know as soon as possible if you're interested in joining my club, Click here for more information.

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE THIS CARD
(Click on each item to find it quickly in my shop) 

Stamps: Geometrical wood or cling, Simply Celebrate wood or cling

Ink: Bermuda Bay, Summer Starfruit, Strawberry Slush, Gumball Green classic inks, stazon black

Card stock: Whisper White

Other: Large rhinestones, stamp-a-majig

Click above to place an order any time, day or night,

but if you have any queries, or prefer to speak to me, I'm always happy to help.

You can contact me by email or phone on 01280 820593.

CHOOSE A FREE SALE-A-BRATION GIFT WITH EVERY £45 YOU SPEND (excl. p&p)

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I had a bit of a nesting moment and created a nursery in the tiny London flat we were living in at the time. I wasn't having any truck with pastel pinks or blues and decided on white with splashes of regal shades. On the skirting board I masked off triangles and painted a border (rather like today's card) in the equivalent of Cherry Cobbler, Crushed Curry and Garden Green. There were beautiful velvet cushions in the same shades on a nursing chair and I even made a little cot quilt in a beautiful fabric with coordinating colours. The funny thing is that when my daughter was born, she spent about an hour in the nursery and after that we just used the cot as a landing stage for clean laundry! She and I decided right from the start that we stood more of a chance if we stuck together at all times!

I've gone off to Mumland again haven't I? Well you see, that's because tomorrow is my youngest son's birthday and after that I will be the mother of three teens!

The three minute retro mouse

I loved the retro 'line art on block colour' treatment on this card I showed you on Tuesday, so I carried on with the idea for my three minute card today. Come and have a look:

The block colour background was created by sponging Soft Sky ink into a mask made with a 1" circle punch (a sponge dauber is perfect for this as it gives a nice even finish.)  I added the mouse from Life in the Forest using a stamp-a-majig to make sure he was where I wanted him. By the way, here's what I think of that little mouse: SQUEEEEEE! Sorry about that - hope I didn't hurt your ears! Now, let's take a look at some other versions I rustled up:

Here's a Pistachio Pudding one. The rule here is to choose any colour that formica kitchens were made in back in the 50s, and it will work superbly for this retro look!

I was using the Express Yourself hostess set for the sentiments on these cards and I couldn't resist using 'love you' with an added heart embellishment (from the owl punch). I love you too Mr Mouse!

• Hostess sets are gorgeous, exclusive stamp sets that are usually only available with orders of £150 or more but my Stampers 6 club members are also able to order them as a perk of their membership. If you're interested in joining my club, click here for all the information. There'll be a new group starting in April and places will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis. I'd love you to join me!

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE THIS CARD
(Click on each item to find it quickly in my shop) 

Stamps: Life in the Forest wood or cling, Express Yourself (hostess) wood or cling

Ink: Soft Sky, Pistachio Pudding, Summer Starfruit classic inks, stazon black

Card stock: Whisper White, scrap of Real Red (for the heart)

Other: 1" circle punch, sponge daubers, owl punch (for the heart), stamp-a-majig

Click above to place an order any time, day or night,

but if you have any queries, or prefer to speak to me, I'm always happy to help.

You can contact me by email or phone on 01280 820593.

CHOOSE A FREE SALE-A-BRATION GIFT WITH EVERY £45 YOU SPEND (excl. p&p)

Wouldn't it would be wonderful to have a dining set like this:

What a gorgeous splash of colour and those chairs look very comfortable! The only trouble is, I'd have to decorate the whole house to match and...

... aaaargh! Stop it! Please...

...no! It's Formica Hell!

All the day-glo formica will be swept away by tomorrow when I'll have a cute little Easter project to show you - including an easy-to-follow video tutorial. See you then,

When Stampin' Up inks get the blues

Have you seen the latest Less is More challenge? It's all about the colour blue - and the lovely Lizy Bartaby from my team is sponsoring this week too! I got all inky for this one using two of my favourites blues and the emboss-resist technique. Come and have a look:

I've gone with a simple layout that I use often, with a textured panel to add interest and a scene cut out with my 2 1/2" circle punch layered on top.

The clouds are stamped in versamark using a splatter image from Stampin' Up's brilliant Gorgeous Grunge stamp set. I heat embossed them using clear embossing powder before stamping the trees from  Lovely as a Tree over the top with stazon ink. The trees were stamped again on a post it note and I cut the foreground away from the sky to create two masks. One was held over the foreground while I smeared my Coastal Cabana ink pad over the sky area and the other over the sky while I dragged the Pacific Point pad over the foreground area. I was trying to recreate a screen print style so I chose slightly crazy colours!

The sentiment is from the Express Yourself set which is full of phrases and words in this beautiful flowing style. This is one of the exclusive hostess sets, which are usually available with orders over £150 but members of my Stampers 6 club also have the opportunity to get hold of them for free. If you're interested in joining my club, click here for more information.

Here's what you'll need to make this project

Stamps: Gorgeous Grunge, Lovely as a Tree, Express Yourself

Ink: Coastal Cabana, Pacific Point classic inks, black stazon ink

Card stock: Whisper White smooth and core'dinations

Other: Versamark, Clear embossing powder, heat tool, 2 1/2" circle punch, paper snips, stamp-a-majig

You can order from my online shop any time, day or night,

but if you have any queries, or prefer to speak to me, I'm always happy to help.

You can contact me by email or phone on 01280 820593.

I'll definitely have the winter blues this week as it's nearly the end of the holidays. As my children are getting older I don't see as much of them as I used to as they have their own things to do, but the house always seems quiet when they go back to school. There's one more day before real life starts again though so, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to the cinema!

See you tomorrow,

My Stampers 6 club get gifts from Tiffanys?!

I'm very proud to say that many of my Stampers 6 club ladies come back to my club time and again. Some have become friends and I think it's safe to say that each and every one of them shares my passion for stamping. It is my pleasure to handcraft a card and a little gift to pop into their parcels each month (which is why places are limited!) I would have liked to send them all a special little something from Tiffanys at Christmas but naturally funds do not allow for such extravagance, so I did the next best thing! Come and have a look:

Ahh that distinctive blue packaging and white ribbon trim! Guaranteed to make a girl feel special! Stampin' Up's Soft Sky card stock and pure white taffeta ribbon is perfect for these Tiffany-style treats.

The pouches are so easy to make using the must-have envelope board. Here's how:

1.  Cut a  4" square of card stock
2.  Place on the board at 2" and punch and score all the way round
3.  Use the corner rounder on all four points and punch a hole at each curved corner
4.  Stamp a sentiment using a stamp-a-majig for accurate position
5.  Thread a ribbon through the holes and draw the pouch closed
Yes, it really is that simple! I added a heart charm punched from a silver foil sheet that had been embossed with my woodgrain embossing folder.

Are you curious to know what was inside the pouch? Come and have a peek:

When I saw the Frosted Finish Embellishments, they took my breath away - they were so detailed and the rhinestones so sparkly! I have some silver findings and jewellery pliers in my craft square metre so I immediately turned the embellishments into earrings, wrapped them in tissue and placed them into their pouches.

• Are you interested in joining my Stampers 6 Club? There are two places available for February and you can reserve your place by emailing me. During your six month membership, you'll get at least £25 worth of free products of your choice, free catalogues, handmade gifts and cards each month, reduced p&p costs, plus the opportunity to order exclusive stamp sets. Membership is free and I ask only that you commit to a minimum spend of £25 for each of the six months. 

Here's what you'll need to make this project

Stamps: Sentiment stamp (retired)

Ink: Stazon black

Card stock: Soft Sky, silver foil

Other: Whisper White taffeta ribbon, handheld hole punch, Small Heart punch, envelope board, small Heart punch, white bakers twine, Woodgrain embossing folder, Big Shot, Frosted Finish Embellishments, stamp-a-majig

You can order from my online shop any time, day or night,

but if you have any queries, or prefer to speak to me, I'm always happy to help.

You can contact me by email or phone on 01280 820593.

The children don't go back to school until next week so I'm still enjoying their company. A sighting of my eldest son has become quite rare during the holidays when he usually answers the siren call of the xbox but these holidays I've become his Biology revision buddy - which is surprisingly good fun!

Have a great weekend and I'll see you very soon,

Feel better with a vintage-style Best of Flowers

My final card for my Get Well week was made especially for a lovely friend of mine who is recovering from an operation. She is a very creative lady who, as well as making wonderful cards and gift packaging, sews beautifully too - which is why canvas seemed a good idea to me! Come and see:

After making this card recently, it's been in the back of my mind to try other stamps on canvas and I thought this one from Best Of Flowers might look almost as if it had been embroidered on. I inked it up using my beloved markers, huffed on the stamp and pressed it onto the canvas - easy peasy!

I snipped the top into a label shape. TIP: It's easy to keep the label symmetrical if you cut one side and use the off-cut as a template to cut the other side. I added some textured card stock cut with the Modern Label punch and layered a punched circle over it before punching a hole through all the layers and tying up with some linen thread.

The sentiment is from the beautiful Express Yourself hostess set. (These are exclusive sets available for those placing a group or single order of £150 or more, but members of my Stampers 6 club are also able to order them. Click here to find out more.)

My friend gives my youngest son piano lessons and he is very fond of her. I thought you might like to see the card he made for her too. He drew the piano but that's the cat from Storybook Friends on the stool and the speech bubble is from Timeless Talk!

Here's what you'll need to make my card
Stamps: Best of Flowers, Express Yourself
Ink: Early Espresso and markers
Card stock: Naturals Ivory, scraps of Raspberry Ripple and Early Espresso
Other: Canvas, paper snips, Modern Label and 1/2" circle punches, linen thread, stamp-a-majig

You can order from my online shop any time, day or night, but if you have any queries, or prefer to speak to me, I'm always happy to help. You can contact me by email or phone on 01280 820593.

And as a special thank you for shopping with me, you'll get a free gift and a handmade card when you place your first online order with me during September.


Thank goodness (as they say) it's Friday! Last Thursday evening I mentioned to my husband that it would be Friday the 13th next day. "Is it?" he said and added in deceptively casual tones: "I've got my parachute jump tomorrow morning." Oh very funny! I mentioned it again the following day when my youngest son came home from school. "It's Friday 13th today!" I said. "How was your day?"My son threw his bags down in the doorway. "I know!" he said and added: "Something terrible happened!" I looked at him. "Oh no! What happened?" I asked. He frowned while he considered this for a few minutes. "I can't remember now," he said sunnily and sauntered off to raid the kitchen.

Have a lovely weekend and I'll see you very soon,

Take Care Easter eggs

It's Easter at the end of this week but still looking ridiculously Christmassy here! Despite all the snow this month, I pressed on and made Easter cards for my lovely Stampers 6 club ladies this month. Come and have a look:

I don't seem to have been able to get any decent photos but this is actually one of my favourite card designs of the year! It uses a gorgeous little stamp set called Take Care (find it on pages 90 and 91 of the Stampin' Up annual catalogue) along with the beautiful 'Happy Easter' from the Delightful Dozen sentiment set.

The branch was inked up with markers and stamped, and the sentiment added before that border was scored using my Borders scoring plate. I liked the way the swirl of the 'y' in happy overlapped the scorelines. In fact, I love the effect of these borders and how easy it is to put them in wherever I want them - I just hope that you're not getting fed up of seeing them!

The nest and eggs were  fussy cut with my sharp paper snips...

... all six of them! I quite enjoy cutting things out actually and anyway, nothing's too much trouble for my lovely club members!

Here's what you'll need to make this card
Stamps: Take care, Delightful Dozen (for the sentiment)
Ink: Baja Breeze, Lucky Limeade, Soft Suede, Early Espresso
Card stock: Very Vanilla
Other: Simply Scored, Borders score plate, markers, paper snips, stamp-a-majig
I'D BE DELIGHTED TO ORDER STAMPIN' UP ITEMS FOR YOU AND HAVE THEM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR ADDRESS IN THE UK. I'M COMMITTED TO PROVIDING EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE AND AM ALWAYS HAPPY TO OFFER HELP AND ADVICE. TO PLACE YOUR ORDER, JUST SEND ME AN EMAIL OR GIVE ME A CALL ON 01280 820593.

One of the advantages of giving my wardrobe a massive spring clear out at the weekend is that I've discovered new combinations of things to wear. I've been showing my 'new' outfits to my daughter and made the mistake of asking the old question 'does my bum look big in this'! "Yes," she told me, without hesitation. "But it's fine," she added. "I mean, it's not so big it's blocking out the sun and killing the dinosaurs or anything!" Oh well, that's fine then!

See you tomorrow, when I'm hoping to show you my Easter baskets. Happy monday!

Three minute Good Luck card

It's always handy to have a stash of good luck cards to help your loved ones feel supported before an exam, a job interview, a driving test, a performance... well, you get the picture, there are all sorts of challenges to be faced in life! I've been using Horse Frontier a lot lately and there's a gorgeous horseshoe image in the set which is perfect for a good luck card. I made this one for my Three Minute Thursday slot today - come and have a look:

I coloured the rubber of my sentiment first, using markers, and stamped it using a stamp-a-majig to get it where I wanted it. Next came the horseshoe, which I coloured with a Sahara Sand marker, and finally the beautiful fern image, stamped off once before pressing onto the card stock.

A gem gives the horseshoe that finishing touch and that's it - a small 7.5cm square notelet that you could tuck into a lunch box, pocket or gadget case, and takes just a couple of minutes to make.

Here's what you'll need to make this card
Stamps: Horse Frontier, Sincere Salutations (retired), Papaya Collage
Ink: Lucky Limeade and Basic Grey
Card stock: Very Vanilla
Other: Markers, Basic Rhinestones, stamp-a-majig
I'd be delighted to order any of these items for you and have them delivered straight to your address in the UK. I'm committed to providing excellent customer service and am always happy to offer help and advice. To place your order, just send me an email or give me a call on 01280 820593.

• All places on my Stampers 6 club have now been filled for February and March but if you'd like to put your name on my waiting list, please let me know.

We are in the grip of a cold spell here in Buckingham but look:

There's hope! These will turn into cheerful yellow daffodils in a month or two to brighten up the base of the hawthorn tree. We've hung a fat ball high up in the tree and it's proving to be quite a draw for local birds. Needless to say The Mighty Warrior (that's Tuppence, our cat) is outraged!

See you tomorrow,